Archive for the 'Johnathan Franklin' Tag Under 'USC' Category

USC receiver Marqise Lee added to his collection of awards Tuesday when The Associated Press made him a first-team selection on its annual All-America team.

Lee joined Baylor's Terrance Williams as a first-team receiver. Lee, a sophomore, is one of only five underclassmen on the 25-player first team. Lee set Pac-12 Conference single-season records for receptions (112) and receiving yards (1,680) and is the conference's offensive player of the year.

Last week, Lee became USC's first winner of the Biletnikoff Award, given to the top college top receiver. He become USC's 160th first-team All-America selection, and the ninth first-team receiver (Lynn Swann, Curtis Conway, Johnnie Morton, Keyshawn Johnson, Mike Williams, Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith, Robert Woods).

In some further good news for Lee, media outlets in Tennessee have reported this morning that USC receivers coach Tee Martin has turned down the same role on the Volunteers' staff. Martin met with new Tennessee coach Butch Jones about the job offer on Monday.

LOS ANGELES -- The development of redshirt freshman Brett Hundley at quarterback is a big reason why the much-improved Bruins come into Saturday's crosstown showdown with USC as a ranked team for the first time since 2005.

But while Hundley has been a difference-maker in Jim Mora's first season as coach, USC figures that running back Johnathan Franklin is the player that it needs to stop to throw the Bruin offense off track. Franklin, who became UCLA's all-time leading rusher, is seventh in the NCAA with 1,270 yards.

USC has had its issues limiting other top running backs as Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey gained 119 yards a week before Oregon's Kenjon Barner overwhelmed them for 321 -- the most ever allowed to an individual by a Trojan defense.

Franklin has seven 100-yard games this season, which is why the Trojans are content to focus on him and make Hundley beat them through the air.

"Yeah, he's the key," Coach Lane Kiffin said. "Once you stop him, you make the quarterback play in a pass game as a freshman. We've got to do a great job wrapping him up and tackling him because he makes a lot of yards after the contact."

-- Running back Silas Redd, who didn't play last Saturday and didn't practice yesterday, came to practice today wearing a helmet and full pads. Coach Lane Kiffin remained coy about whether Redd would be available Saturday against UCLA. ``Hope so,'' Kiffin said.

-- Kiffin said he talked to the players at the begging of the week about not getting excessively caught up in the rivalry and not providing fodder, either through traditional media or social media.

-- The USC coaching staff and players had high praise for UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley and running back Johnathan Franklin.

-- Two USC defensive players provided some neat rivalry-week perspective. Safety T.J. McDonald's father, Tim McDonald, played at USC and McDonald's younger brother Tevin currently plays for the Bruins. Tim McDonald is an assistant coach at Fresno State, but the Bulldogs have a bye this week so he will be able to attend. Wes Horton's father, Myke, was an offensive lineman at UCLA in the 1970s.

Take down the `Wanted' posters: the USC defensive front is back. A week after looking relatively slow and timid against a quick, aggressive Oregon offense line and a an all-world effort by Ducks running back Kenjon Barner, the Trojans' defensive line returned to early-season form against Arizona State. Line coach Ed Orgeron had a little gleam in his eye this week when he talked about taking responsibility for his players' poor results last week, and one got the impression that it wouldn't happen again. It didn't. Each of USC's front-four players -- Morgan Breslin, George Uko, Leonard Williams and Wes Horton -- had at least one memorable play against the Sun Devils, and collectively they harassed quarterback Taylor Kelly, sacked him seven times and forced him into three interceptions. Arizona State had only 71 rushing yards.

USC receiver Marqise Lee has been named the Pac-12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Hawaii. The sophomore finished with 297 all-purpose yards.

UCLA tailback Johnathan Franklin was the offensive player of the week after rushing for 214 yards and three touchdowns against Rice.

Arizona linebacker Jake Fischer was the top defensive player after recording career highs in tackles (13) and tackles for loss (2.5) and logging the first forced fumble of his career against Toledo.

It's the final USC report card of the season, delivered about a month earlier than usual. (But hey, the Trojans still finished at the Rose Bowl, right?)

Was I too easy on the offense? Too hard on the coaches? Let your voice be heard by casting your vote.

OFFENSE

The good: Senior tailback Allen Bradford emerged from his recent oblivion to record 259 scrimmage years and two fourth-quarter touchdowns that put the game away. ... The recently slumping offensive line paved the way for 271 rushing yards and a 6.8-yard per-carry average.

There was a lot more on the line than bragging rights Saturday. Here are five observations from USC's 28-14 victory against UCLA at the Rose Bowl:

1. Bruins stuck on free parking

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel's bold proclamation before the 2008 season that the football monopoly in Los Angeles is over is the joke that never dies. Even from jail USC owns the city, from Boardwalk to Park Place to the railroads.

Consider: The Trojans were hit with major sanctions, replaced their athletic director, their most successful head coach in three decades and nearly all of their coaching staff, and had their worst record since 2001; they couldn't have been more vulnerable.

It was an uneven first half that was headed toward an even score. And then USC linebacker Malcolm Smith scooped up a Johnathan Franklin fumble late in the second quarter and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown as the Trojans lead 14-7 at the half.

USC scored first, on its second possession, when tailback Dillon Baxter hit Rhett Ellison for a 5-yard touchdown. Baxter was lined up in the Wildcat formation, capping off a 67-yard led by three Matt Barkley completions.

Two plays later, Franklin took a handoff 59 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. He finished the half with 12 carries for 104 yards. Quarterback Richard Brehaut went 3 of 11 for 57 yards.

Barkley went 7 of 13 for 100 yards. USC tailback Allen Bradford carried the ball 15 times for 70 yards.